COIMBATORE: After a string of accidents on the newly constructed flyover on Tiruchy road, the district administration has decided to seek the help of experts from structural engineering department of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to analyse the design of the structure and suggest corrections if there are flaws.
"The national highways wing of state highways department which constructed the flyover is currently studying the design to identify any structural flaw. Meanwhile, through the Superintendent Engineer of the department, we have requested IIT's expert view," District collector GS Sameeran told The New Indian Express.
The 3.15 km flyover has been constructed at a cost of Rs 253 crores and was inaugurated by Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 11. The very next day, a fatal accident took place on the main stretch, and the second death occurred on June 24. Following this, police imposed speed limit of 40 km for the main stretch and 30 km for the down ramp.
The flyover was closed and rumble strips were installed to warn drivers to slow down. On July 9, the flyover was thrown open to traffic but the changes did not prove adequate. A biker died on July 14 after falling from a flyover, and two cars collided on Wednesday.
The recurrent accidents aroused doubts about the safety and effectiveness of preventive measures. On the one hand, police said there are structural problems, and highways officials accused police of not paying attention to control speed. Hence the a district-level committee was formed to find a solution and ensure safety of road users.
After the third accident. minister V Senthil Balaji inspected the bridge and said the flyover was not appropriately planned and that the design was flawed. In accordance with his instructions, the district collector established a district-level committee to investigate the flyover structure and to make recommendations to prevent accidents.
The committee met on Monday and was given the task of conducting a thorough investigation by the highways department. The committee then advises, according to the sources, enlisting the aid of specialists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.